Mobile travel services: A three-country study into the impact of local circumstances

In this paper we explore the difference in acceptance patterns of mobile services that are related to travelling in three countries: Finland, The Netherlands and New Zealand. The objective of this paper is to understand differences in the use of Mobile Travel Services in three countries that differ with regard to national travel patterns. This paper also contributes to the discussion of the relevance of the Technology Acceptance Model for mobile applications by focusing on the importance of context characteristics, such as the degree of mobility of the user, the social situation people are in, and their need for social interaction. Based on surveys in the three countries as executed in 2009, we use structural equation modelling to find differences in patterns. The paper concludes that context factors have an impact on the relation between the core concepts as used in TAM and DOI approach, and that t here is a clear need for closer research in the moderating effect of physical (e.g. mobile and fixed context) and social context, as well as the need for social interaction. Moreover it is clear that country specific characteristics play a role in the acceptance of mobile travel services. As we pointed out in many of our research projects before the acceptance and use of mobile services requires deep understanding from individual, context and technology related characteristics and their mutual interactions

Developing an Instrument to Measure the Adoption of Mobile Devices in the Telehealth Environment

The aim of this paper is to develop and describe the design process of an integrative tool to measure perceptions and experiences of health professionals for the use of mobile devices in healthcare. Prior researchers used three phases (from 2-4 mentioned in next line) of instrument development, however, this research used four phases to develop an integrative instrument to measure perceptions and experiences of health professionals for the use of mobile devices in telehealth. These four phases are: 1. Themes and factors selection, 2. Item creation, 3. Item refinement and 4. Item testing. The process followed to develop the instrument can be used to develop instruments in other domains. Also, service providers, service designers, management and researchers for understanding perceptions and experiences of health professionals for the use of mobile devices can use the instrument developed in this research

Unravelling technology-acceptance factors influencing farmer use of banana tissue culture planting materials in Central Uganda

Effective management of plant health is fundamental for food and income security to meet the growing demands of local and global markets. This however requires farmers’ adequate access to quality planting materials under the prevailing contextual and psycho-social factors. This study, anchored in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technologies, unravels technology-acceptance factors that influence farmers’ intentions to use banana tissue culture planting materials in the control of Banana Xanthomonas Wilt. Data were collected from 248 randomly sampled banana farmers using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modelling to examine hypothesized paths in the uptake of banana tissue culture planting materials. Results show that farmer intentions to use tissue culture planting materials are dependent on two constructs: social influence and farmer innovativeness. However, social influence is the main predictor of intentions to use tissue culture planting materials. In particular, farmer innovativeness mediates facilitating conditions and social influence in predicting intentions to use tissue culture planting materials. Thus, this study reveals two factors that influence farmer intentions to use tissue culture planting materials: social influence and farmer innovativeness. The findings imply that social influence and farmer innovativeness are critical in disseminating novel agricultural technologies in Uganda and elsewhere

Mobile travel services: the effect of moderating context factors

This article has two objectives: (1) to draw an international comparison regarding the acceptance of mobile travel services in three countries with different profiles when it comes to travelling and mobile telecommunications, and (2) to extend relevant literature on mobile applications, more specifically travel services, by including context-related concepts, taking moderating factors like location, mobility of users, physical, and social context into account. Based on surveys that were carried out in 2009, structural equation modelling is used to identify differences in patterns in the use of mobile travel services and in the role of context-related variables. the conclusion of this article is that context-related factors, that is, mobility and (physical and social) context, have an impact on the relationship between the core concepts of technology Acceptance model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) research. many studies on the acceptance and use of mobile services indicate that a deep understanding is needed of individual, context-related, and technological characteristics and the way they interact. this is also highly relevant to the travel industry, which wants to utilize the opportunities provided by mobile technology

A Study of Technology Innovations and Applications in Transforming Safety and Security in Healthcare Facility Management

The increasing complexity of construction projects has transformed the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry through technology adoption over the last decade. But, Facility Management (FM) as an industry has been slow in technology adoption. Growing market competition, corporate demands and new ways of attracting clients for owners are compelling FM professionals to be more efficient. This requirement is driving technology adoption by FM professionals. This study identifies technologies adopted by Healthcare Facility Management (HFM) professionals for improving safety and security of users that have capabilities and conceived and/or developed applications that can or in some cases are at present used in HFM. Simultaneously, it also looks into potentials and capabilities of a handful of other technologies in further improving safety and security. Using Literature-Based Discovery (LBD), the technology applications and innovations aimed towards safety and security are discovered from the literature that falls within the purview of HFM to form a picture of how these technologies enhance the practice of FM. The study aims at detecting how technologies have contributed towards transforming user experience. Also, this study identifies existing technologies and innovation demands (knowledge and gaps in knowledge), a general understanding of technology, its use and capabilities, and its recognition by users and industry professionals (adoption/rejection). They serve to illustrate how and to what degree the technologies will come to be used in facility management. Technologies, as they mature, will come to be used by facility managers in similar functions and hypothetically, entirely new ones. One should create a better user experience tailored to the functionality demanded. It is important for facility managers to partner with technology companies presenting innovative solutions to create a platform that is tailored to user-specific needs. Acceptance of a unified process, together with input from users, facility managers, and an assessment of current technologies and new advances in practice are productive ways to develop technologies that drive user satisfaction. This paper works to illustrate a future vision of HFM based on these technologies. Healthcare facility managers will have a reference that assembles multiple technological proficiencies that can function in their practice going forward

Why is it difficult to implement e-health initiatives? A qualitative study

<b>Background</b> The use of information and communication technologies in healthcare is seen as essential for high quality and cost-effective healthcare. However, implementation of e-health initiatives has often been problematic, with many failing to demonstrate predicted benefits. This study aimed to explore and understand the experiences of implementers - the senior managers and other staff charged with implementing e-health initiatives and their assessment of factors which promote or inhibit the successful implementation, embedding, and integration of e-health initiatives.<p></p> <b>Methods</b> We used a case study methodology, using semi-structured interviews with implementers for data collection. Case studies were selected to provide a range of healthcare contexts (primary, secondary, community care), e-health initiatives, and degrees of normalization. The initiatives studied were Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) in secondary care, a Community Nurse Information System (CNIS) in community care, and Choose and Book (C&B) across the primary-secondary care interface. Implementers were selected to provide a range of seniority, including chief executive officers, middle managers, and staff with 'on the ground' experience. Interview data were analyzed using a framework derived from Normalization Process Theory (NPT).<p></p> <b>Results</b> Twenty-three interviews were completed across the three case studies. There were wide differences in experiences of implementation and embedding across these case studies; these differences were well explained by collective action components of NPT. New technology was most likely to 'normalize' where implementers perceived that it had a positive impact on interactions between professionals and patients and between different professional groups, and fit well with the organisational goals and skill sets of existing staff. However, where implementers perceived problems in one or more of these areas, they also perceived a lower level of normalization.<p></p> <b>Conclusions</b> Implementers had rich understandings of barriers and facilitators to successful implementation of e-health initiatives, and their views should continue to be sought in future research. NPT can be used to explain observed variations in implementation processes, and may be useful in drawing planners' attention to potential problems with a view to addressing them during implementation planning

Success and failure in eHealth

Introduction In the field of eHealth, there seems to be a gap between promising research and clinical reality. This master thesis aims to give insight in patterns that can be found regarding the possible outcome in terms of success and/or failure. An in-depth review of workflow will be done, to get an understanding of the implications of eHealth on workflow. Methods Using a systematic article search, papers have been collected regarding the subject of this thesis. Through multiple search strategies, one final search string has been formulated. This final search string led to 903 papers. These papers have been assessed on relevance using qualitative methods. This resulted in 258 papers, which have been categorised by topic, entity and success or failure. After categorisation, the topic of workflow has been selected for an additional in-depth full-text review. Results The categorisation led to 27 categories. The categories are separated among the following entities: patient, health professional, health system and all. The first three have been separated in terms of success and failure as well. This led to a quantitative overview of different categories, for different actors in terms of success and failure. Workflow appeared to be essential for the possible success or failure of eHealth implementations. It is important to include workflow in the design of the tool as well. Conclusion Different categories show a unique combination in success and failure, and to what entity they belong. The category costs appeared to be mostly based on the health system and is attributed to failure. Therefore it is a pre-requisite for the implementation of eHealth. Other categories like quality healthcare and user expectations seem to target on success. The category legal was smaller than anticipated, which could have been caused by categories that are closely linked to each other

Framework for overcoming barriers of complementary and alternative medicine acceptance into conventional healthcare system

Health disparities have been widely recognized as a problem throughout the world. This paper provided a strengthened collaborative virtual framework for overcoming barriers towards accepting complementary and alternative medical practice into conventional healthcare system. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered with semi-structured questionnaires and interviews from General Practitioners (GPs) with Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) knowledge, CAM Practitioners with biomedicine knowledge, CAM patients, and scholars. 2,760 semi-structured questionnaires exploring knowledge, attitudes, and skills’ barriers to integrative medical collaboration efforts were administered. Focus group discussions were held interviewing GPs, CAM practitioners, and others claiming effective prescriptions. Practitioners’ team meetings, retreats, interaction, and prescription operations were observed. In this study, a videoconferencing-based healthcare services delivery system was developed and implemented for seamless exchange of healthcare information. 2,591 (93.5%) questionnaires representing 657 physicians (23.80%), 997 CAM practitioners (36.12%), 855 patients (30.98%), and 82 healthcare researchers (2.97%) responded, while 169 (6.12%) declined response. Fifty-two percent of the 657 GPs still referred patients for CAM treatments. Patients found complementary approaches more aligned with “their own values, beliefs, and philosophical orientations”. Non-medical acceptance of CAM (43.27%) continued impeding CAM growth in Nigeria. CAM practitioners require evidence-based knowledge towards finding solutions and suggestions for seamlessly integrating CAM with modern healthcare practices. Key words: Collaboration, complementary and alternative medicine, integrated delivery system, videoconferencing